Seat assembly



w. MARSHALL ET AL.

SEAT AS SEMBLY 0&9, 1930.

Filed Dec 31, 1928 5 SheetsSheet 1 5 Z w & w am M nd M w y 2 .a if Q 4 0 a 1930- w. MARSHALL ET AL 1,734,241

SEAT AS SEMBLY F'i-led Dec. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A BY fir ATTORNEYS Dec. 9, 1930. w. MARSHALL ET AL 1,734,241

SEAT ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. a1, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet s We [ham Wars/m2; r BY A Z eta e [2/71 5'. h ooaaf ATTORNEY.

1930- w. MARSHALL ET'AL 1,784,241

SEAT ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEYS INVENTOR s f Mfizam/Vars/w 9 n Dec. 9, 1930. w. MARSHALL ET AL 1,784,241

SEAT AS 5 EMBLY Filed Dec. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS M'ZZz'a/W 1V4 rsimlz AZewe ZZy/r .9. Moor/7714M '6 BY 7W5.

. ATTORN EYS Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM MARSHALL AND LLEWELLYN S. WOODHULL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AS- SIGNORS TO BRIGGS I/[ANUFACTURING CGMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A GOR- PORATION OF MICHIGAN SEAT ASSEMBLY Application filed December 31, 1928. Serial No. 329,426.

This invention relates to seat assemblies and more particularly to adjustable seats adapted to be used in connection with vehicle bodies.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a seat of the above type capable of being adjusted as a unit longitudinally of the vehicle so as to vary the distance between the seat and controls of the vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide mechanism for adjusting the seat which is inherently self looking so that the seat is rigidly held in its various positions of adj ustment.

A further object of the present invention resides in the peculiar connection between the seat and support therefor which in addition to permitting an unobstructed sliding movement of the seat relative to its support, renders possible detaching the seat from the support.

A still further object of this invention is to provide means for guiding both ends of the seat in a true rectilinear path and thereby prevent a twisting or lateral movement of the seat relative to its support.

Another novel feature of this invention is attributed to the ease and rapidity with which the seat maybe assembled within the body and the minimum number of parts employed for accomplishing adj ustability of the seat.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention are attributed to the peculiar construction of the seat and operating mechanism therefor which will be made more apparent as this description proceeds especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of a vehicle having a seat constructed 1n accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the seat with certain parts broken away for the sake of clearness;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 ofFigure 2;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a side elevation showing a slightly modified form of seat construction;

Figure 9 is a plan view of the construction shown in Figure 8 with the seat cushions removed;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing another modified form of seat construction;

Figure 12 is a side elevation partly in section of the construction shown in Figure 11; and

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken on the line 13-13 of Figure 12.

lVhile it will be apparent as this descrip tion proceeds, that the present invention may be used in connection with any one of the ve hicle seats, nevertheless for the purpose of illustration we have herein illustrated this invention as applied to the front seat of a vehicle. In this connection we have illustrated fragmentarily in Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, a support 10 which may be the flooring of a vehicle body upon which the seat 11 is attached.

In order to secure the seat 11 in proper spaced relation to the floor 10 and at a convenient angle relative thereto, a seat riser 12 is provided which is substantially U-shaped in plan view and terminates at the top and bottom edges thereof in inwardly extending flanges 13 and 1% respectively. The flanges 13 form a rest for the seat 11 and the flanges 1d are secured to the floor 10 as for instance, by means of the bolts 15. The base of the U- shaped riser preferably supports the forward edge of the seat and the legs of the U are inclined rearwardly and downwardly from the base aforesaid and support the side edges of the seat.

For slidably supporting the seat 11 upon the risers, a pair of rails 16 and 17 are secured to the bottom of the seat adjacent the side edges of the latter. These rails are substantially channel-shaped in cross section and terminate at the longitudinal edges thereof in lateral flanges 18 adapted to be secured to the bottom ofthe seat 11. Spaced longitudinally of the rails 16 and 17 and depending from the base portions 19 thereof, is a series of buttons 20 having enlarged substantially flat head portions 21 connected to the rails by means of the shank portions 22. Cooperating with the rails 16 and 17 to feet the desired connection, is a pair of plates 23 and 24 secured to the seat riser 12 and extending rearwardly from the front wall thereof. Each of the plates 23 and 24 are formed with a plurality of slots 25 therein preferably corresponding in number to the number of the buttons 20 depending from the rails. The width of the major portions of the slots is substantially equal to the diameter of the shank portions 22 of the buttons 20 so as to slidably receive these shank portions. The forward ends of the slots are enlarged. as indicated at 26 to receive the flat head portions 21 of the buttons upon initially assembling the seat with the plates ..3 and Thus from the foregoing it will be noted that the connection between the seat and support,

is so designed as to permit relative rectilinear movement between the seat and support and to prevent a tilting movement of the seat relative to its support.

In order to prevent twisting of the seat during adjustment thereof relative to the plates 23 and 24 and to accurately guide the seat in a rectilinear path, the rear ends of the rails 20 are formed with a plurality of spaced notches 26 adapted to be engaged by the teeth 27 of the gears 23.v The latter are mounted upon the ends of a shaft 29 extending transversely of the seat acent the rear end thereof and ournalled in suitable aligned openings formed in the laterally spaced flanges 30 depending from the plates 23 and 24. The latter terminates at the rear ends thereof in depending portions 31 adapted to be secured to the flooring 10.

The mechanism for adjusting the seat relative to its support, comprises a travelling screw 32 and a nut adapted to threadedly engage the screw. The screw is jou-rnalled. in a suitable supporting plate 34 which as shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, is provid edwith a flange 35 secured to the bottom of the seat 11 at the forward end thereof. A suitable handle 36 is secured to the end of the screw exteriorly of the plate 34 for rotating the handle. The nut 33 on the other hand, is stationarily supported relative to the screw by means of a bracket 37 having one end secured to the flooring 10 a substantial distance in rear of the front face of the riser 12 and the opposite end secured to the front face of the latter as at 38. The bracket 37 is further provided with an intermediate substantially fiat portion 39 forming a bearing for the nut and a support for the channelshaped member 40. The latter cooperates ,with the portion 39 of the bracket to form a housing for the nut and is adapted to embrace theunder side of the flange 13 on the riser 12. In order to pivotally hold the nut in position the latter is provided with oppositely extend ing projections 41 adapted to project through aligned apertures formed in the portions 39 and member 40. Thus from the foregoing it will be noted that the bracket 37 in addition to supporting the operating screw also functions as a brace for the riser.

The operating screw 32 hereinbefore set forth. is located substantially intermediate the sides of the seat so that the same will be readily accessible at all times. Moreover the length of the screw is so determined that when. the seat is in. its extreme forward position wherein the heads 21 of the buttons are in registration with the enlarged openings 26 of the slots 25, the screw will be free from the nut 33 so that the seat may be readily detached from its support.

Thus from the foregoing it will be apparent that we have provided operating mechanism for adjusting the seat which in addition to being capable of moving the seat with comparatively little effort on the part of the operator, is inherently self looking so that the seat is rigidly held in any of its positions of adjustment. Moreover by virtue of the rack and pinion feature heretofore referred to, the seat will be restrained to travel in a true predetermined path.

Referring now to the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10, the numeral 42 indicates the flooring of the vehicle and 43 designates the seat support which is in the form of a plate and is secured to the flooring 42 in any suitable manner. The plate 43 is provided adjacent the longitudinal edges thereof with upwardly extending substanti ally channel-shaped portions 44 having slots 45 therein identical in design to the slots 2.) set forth in connection with the first decribed form of the invention and adapted to receive the buttons 46. The latter are secured in the depending channel-shaped portions 47 formed in a plate 48 which as shown, is secured to the bottom of the seat. The base portions of each of the channels 44 and 47 are arranged in contacting relation with each other so as to provide a stable support for the seat. The shape and function of the buttons 46 are substantially the same as pointed out above in connection with the buttons 20 and as a consequence will not be described in detail.

The manner in which the seat is adjusted relative to the support, differs from the first described form of the invention in that the operating mechanism is located in rear of the seat and comprises the screw 48 carried by the seat and the cooperating nut 49 secured to the plate 43 and threadedly engaging the screw. As in the above embodiment of the invention the screw 48 is so designed as to disengage from the nut 49 when the seat is in a position wherein the enlarged heads of the buttons are opposite the correspondingly enlarged ends of the slots 25 so that the seat may be readily detached from its support.

In Figures 11, 12 and 13 a still further modification is shown. In this form of the invention the operating mechanism for adjusting the seat relative to the support and the mounting for this operating mechanism together with the slidable connection between the seat and support, are substantially the same as in the first described form of the invention and accordingly it is not deemed necessary to further describe the same.

The principal differences between the present form of construction and that described with some particularity above in connection with Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, is that the shaft 50 carrying the pinions 51 instead of being carried by the stationary support as in the first described form of the invention, is journalled in the spaced ears 52 extending upwardly from the plates 58 which as shown are secured to the bottom of the seat 54. The plates 53 are provided with the spaced clownwardly extending buttons 55 adapted to engage in slots 56 formed in the plates 57 which are secured to the seat riser 58 at the opposite sides thereof. The rear ends of the plates 57 adjacent the outer ears 52 are formed with a plurality of slots 59 adapted to successively engage the teeth on the pinions 51 for limiting the seat to predetermined path of travel. As pointed out above, the particular shape of the slots 56 and buttons 55 and the manner in which the same engage each other to perform the desired results, is clearly defined in connection with the first described form of the invention. In order to provide an GffiClent construction and at the same time provide a neat construction, a housing 60 is secured to the back of the seat so as to conceal the pinions and shaft which are positioned exteriorly of the seat.

lVhile several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated herein somewhat in detail, it should be understood that various other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in this art and as a consequence reservation is made to make such changes in many of the essential and all of the non-essential details as may come within the purview of the accompanying claims.

WVhat we claim as our invention is:

1. In combination, a supporting member, a seat member positioned upon the supporting member, means establishing a. sliding movement between the seat and support including an element projecting from one of said members and extending through an elongated slot formed in the other of said members. said element having an enlarged head portion insertable through an enlarged portion of the slot and normally preventing relative tilting movement between the said members, and means for adjusting said members relative to each other including a nut carried by one of said members and a screw carried by the other of said members and engageable with said nut, the length of said screw and configuration of the slot being so determined that when the screw is disengaged from the nut the enlarged head portion aforesaid will assume a position opposite the enlarged portion of the slot permitting said members to be readily detached from each other.

2. In combination, a seat riser having an inwardly extending flange, a seat positioned upon said riser and capable of movement relative thereto, a supporting bracket secured to the riser having an intermediate portion spaced from the flange aforesaid, a nut positioned in the space between the flange and intermediate portion aforesaid and having projections sleeved within openings formed in the flange and intermediate portion of the bracket, and a screw carried by the seat and engageable with the nut for adjusting the seat relative to the riser.

3. In combination, a supporting member, a slidable seat member upon the supporting member, a slidable connection between said members including an element projecting from one of said members having a shank portion slidably engaging an elongated slot in the other of said members and having an enlarged headed portion engageable with the latter member to prevent relative tilting movement between the members, said slot having an enlarged portion permitting said headed portion to be detached from the slotted member, means for adjusting said seat member relative to the supporting member including a. nut mounted upon one of said members and a traveling screw carried by the other of said members and engageable with said nut, the length of the screw being such that when the seat member is in its extreme forward position wherein the headed portions aforesaid are in registration with the enlarged portions of the slots, the screw will be free from the nut so that the seat member may be readily detached from the supporting 1 member.

4. In combination, a bracket having a substantially horizontal flange portion and a depending portion at one edge of said horizontal lGo lltl

swivelled in the depending portion of the plate and engaging the nut.

5. In combination, a seat riser, a seat 1nov-' able relative to the riser, plates secured respectively to said seat and riser, buttons depending from the plate secured to said seat and having portions received in and slidably engaging a slot in the other plate, the said other plate having a rearward substantially channel-shaped extension, a shaft journaled in the channel-shaped extension, and a pinion rigid with the shaft having the teeth thereof engageable with spaced slots in the plate secured to said seat, and actuating means for the seat causing the plate secured thereto to slide relative to the plate secured to the riser.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WVILLIAM MARSHALL. LLEVELLYN S. lVOODHULL 

